Slashdot Mirror
AT&T To Unlock Out-of-Contract iPhones
NicknamesAreStupid writes "Many outlets are reporting that AT&T will allow owners of iPhones whose contracts have expired to unlock their devices. One might think that a call or a quick trip to their local AT&T store would do the trick, and they do provide this service to people who are currently under contract with a newer phone and want to use their older one. However, AT&T has never made anything free to be easy, and this may not bode well for former customers who offer no profitable revenue. For example, when AT&T bought Bell South, they were ordered by the court as part of the acquisition to offer $10/month 'DSL lite' service. The maze in their website which led to this opportunity is now a story of legend. Will the key to this unlocking the iPhone be as byzantine for former customers?"
I wish Telus in Canada would do the same thing. This whole unlocking thing should be mandated as soon as the contract paying for the phone is done.
I have a 3GS sitting in a shelf from 2010. Am I eligible for unlocking on this phone?
I'm going to guess no. :(
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Yes, AT&T has always unlocked phones except for the iPhone - this was a legacy of their early exclusivity with Apple. Now they unlock iPhones too. It has never been terribly hard from my experience (with two non-iPhones over the past 10 years).
But remember this is Slashdot. If it the article is about AT&T, Microsoft, Apple or any cableco, the story must be written such that even if the company is doing something good the summary must be negative. I'm guessing there is a step two for Slashdot somewhere and step three is profit.
"95% of all Slashdot
"We're the phone company. We don't have to care."